News, 9/6/2012

Foreign Minister Tuomioja visited Kosovo

Finland’s Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja visited Kosovo on 6 September. His day started with a meeting in the Finnish Embassy, where Finnish experts from EULEX, KFOR, OSCE, UNDP and ICO briefed the minister about their work. The discussion covered Kosovo's decentralization process, civil registration, challenges in gender equality and the position of the youth in Kosovo's development among other topics.

Afterwards minister Tuomioja talked with his Kosovar colleague Enver Hoxhaj. The ministers looked back to their meeting in Helsinki last October. The core of the discussion was the end of Kosovo’s supervised independence and the challenges it brings, as well as Kosovo’s EU-approximation. Tuomioja met also Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, Minister of European Integration Vlora Citaku and Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Petrovic. Thaci described Tuomioja the integration plan for Northern Kosovo. Tuomioja expressed Finland's support to the international status of Kosovo and its social development after ceasing of controlled independence. He also reaffirmed Finland's support to Kosovo's EU approximation and the continuing of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.

To conclude the visit minister Tuomioja participated in a lunch hosted by minister Hoxhaj. Then he left for the airport and headed towards Sarajevo.

Minister Tuomioja with the staff in the Embassy. Photo: Ridvan Slivova